If Kids Are Watching “Hopeslop”, It’s a Recession Indicator

What the movies might say about your country’s politics

How a country works can never be replicated by another. Even if you can, you might have a different outcome than intended. That’s why I think some theories can be applied to many things, yet the outcome will be entirely different. You can definitely get an idea of the state a country is currently in by reading numerous news articles about it — it’s reliable and most likely accurate. But one interesting thing I’ve found is that if you want to know a country’s current political climate, you can also look at the movies being screened in theaters.

Movies are a form of entertainment, but they can also serve to comment on and critique of issues happening in the world, or at least in your country. Filmmakers have always done this with the movies they make. And inserting politics, or making your movie a reflection of socio-political issues, is a practice filmmakers have used for a long time.

According to Rajput (2023), in their article “Movies as Mirrors of Politics: Reflecting Sociopolitical Realities on the Silver Screen” in CINEMA: Socio-Political Reflection, movies can encourage discussions on political issues. Movies not only serve as entertainment but also spark conversations about issues that reflect our real lives.

Moreover, in Bujgoi’s (2025) commentary article, Film as a Reflection of Society: Analyzing Social Issues through Cinema, class struggles and economic disparities are recurring themes in cinema, with Parasite (2019) and The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) as prime examples. And this also applies to Indonesia and its constant releases of “hopeful” family movies on themes of economic disparities, as mentioned.

While movies aren’t inherently political, with the way they are shaped as a part of mass media and a way to form mass communication, they can act as mirrors of politics — reflecting political ideologies, movements, and societal issues. Movies can also influence public opinion and foster conversations on important topics.

And so, I think movies are at least one of the many ways to see what it must feel like for the people of the country. There have been many releases from Indonesian filmmakers throughout 2025 and 2026. For example, Senin Harga Naik (2026), 1 Kakak 7 Ponakan (2025), Tunggu Aku Sukses Nanti (2026), Keluarga Super Irit (2025), and Suka Duka Tawa (2025). And one thing they all have in common is that class struggle and economic disparity are their main themes (or at least one of them).

Official posters for Senin Harga Naik (left) and 1 Kakak 7 Ponakan (right) (credit: Starvision & Mandela Pictures (respectively))

Official posters for Tunggu Aku Sukses Nanti (left), Keluarga Super Irit (middle), and Suka Duka Tawa (right) (credit: Rapi Films, Falcon Pictures, and Spasi Moving Image (respectively))

I personally haven’t watched most of them except for 1 Kakak 7 Keponakan, Keluarga Super Irit, and Suka Duka Tawa — frankly, I am not a big fan of these types of movies, but aside from that, I don’t have to go to the cinema to understand that the other movies also share the same theme.

If you’re Indonesian, you’d understand that the title alone might tell what the overarching story is. If you’re not, here are the official international titles:

• Senin Harga Naik = Last Chance to Save
• 1 Kakak 7 Ponakan = A Brother and 7 Siblings
• Tunggu Aku Sukses Nanti = Wait Until I Make It
• Keluarga Super Irit = The Super Frugal Family
• Suka Duka Tawa = Comedy Buddy

If some aren’t as telling as the others, you’d immediately know it just by reading the premise of the movie.

Movies with these themes aren’t uncommon. It’s nothing new in Indonesia’s film landscape, but it is very noticeable that they were all released over the span of two years. All with the same underlying issue: the economy.

As aforementioned, I don’t necessarily enjoy movies like them. They’re simply not my cup of tea, and I don’t think they’re great social commentaries; even so, all of those movies were able to garner quite a high number of audience members — or at least the people around me have watched all of them.

I think that while they’re still social commentary-ish movies, they’re sources of entertainment. I would hypothesize that not only do most people watch them to entertain themselves, but they also watch movies with a socio-political issue like this, and that a more “hopeful” ending gives them hope. An example of this is Home Sweet Loan (2024), directed by Sabrina Rochelle Kalangie.

Official poster for Home Sweet Loan (credit: Visinema Pictures)

Movies similar to this and the others give the audience hope, whether knowingly or not. It makes us feel good watching them because you can see that even after going through all the stuff they’ve gone through, they still manage to “win” at the end. Seeing the main character transform from desperation and depression to someone happier and more content makes us feel good.

Not all, but almost every movie is written with the three-act structure in mind or with the order of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Basically, you’re given the general idea of the story, conflict, characters, and world before the conflict arises until it’s reached its peak and starts to fall, before then coming to its resolution. And it’s not limited to Indonesian movies; a lot of movies tend to end on a more “happy” note — shown by the way the protagonist meets their goal. This structure is very much present in the aforementioned movies and in movies of the same themes.

The protagonist struggles to be financially secure due to a bunch of factors, then finally reaches that euphoria by achieving their goal at the end. Even with their predictable plots, people could still watch them to feel a sense of hope that those things could happen to them too. Even if it doesn’t, at least they could see how the protagonist achieved the same goal they’re aiming for. While this might not be the reason the audience chooses to watch them, these movies still make people feel good for the reasons mentioned above.

Again, I’m personally not a fan of movies like this. To me, they offer no substantial message, as they might not have been intended as critiques of our current economy. Even if it was, it’s wrapped in a way that some come off as “romanticizing” the issue. But through movies with themes like this, I realize how appalling our state is. Without the current economic issue our country is facing, I don’t think people would be interested in movies of this theme, if they would even still exist at all.

Movies and other forms of mass media, including social media, are the best medium for people to seek entertainment and/or information on things that we’re maybe not aware of. They can also be places for criticism and promotion. And I think that these types of movies, while predictable and boring, should make you start wondering why they’re so famous and why there are numerous movies talking about the same issue.

References

Bagheri, R., & Baghi, M. S. (2024). The Role of Films in Politics: The Representation of Boris Johnson in “This England” TV Series. Journal of World Sociopolitical Studies, 8(2), 387–419. https://doi.org/10.22059/wsps.2024.376284.1433

Bujgoi, M. (2025). Film as a Reflection of Society: Analyzing Social Issues through Cinema. Arts and Social Sciences Journal, 16(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.37421/2151-6200.2025.16.645

Rajput, R. (2023). Movies As Mirrors of Politics: Reflecting Sociopolitical Realities on the Silver Screen. In CENEMA : Socio-Political Reflection (pp. 152–168). Kitab Writing Publication. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374502875_Movies_As_Mirrors_of_Politics_Reflecting_Sociopolitical_Realities_on_the_Silver_Screen